Letters
LETTERS
Tempting Fate
I’ve been meaning for some time to compliment Cycle World on the editorial columns, features that bring unique voices to bear on motorcycle culture each month. In particular, and the one that finally brings me to write, is Peter Egan’s “Triumph and the Fates (December, 1997).
Ted Simon, in his book Jupiter ’s Travels, apparently would agree with Egan’s delightful observations, and quotes a Meridan mechanic saying to him-in reference to the Triumph Simon had just received for his journey around the world-that “If you don’t worry about it, it’ll go all the way with no bother.”
I worried about my T100R Daytona early one morning before daylight on a ride, and the lights went out. I patted it on the tank during a ride as it was performing so well, and it simply stopped running. I have since learned to look the other way, leaving the motorcycle to its own resources. Staring at it, as it were, causes it to stare back and freeze, not unlike a once wild but now domesticated beast might.
Married to Harley-Davidson, but with Triumph as mistress... Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum Historian, Harley-Davidson Archives Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I rode my Triumph, a ’72 T100R, nine months or more out of the year. The Daytona and I would thunder out of the garage, through the main arteries of Toledo, Ohio. Who could catch me? With great throttle response, brakes that stopped on a dime even in the wet, handling that took me out of harm’s way, and the sprit of Eddie Mulder, Gary Nixon, Gene Romero and Brando riding with me, I was simply unstoppable.
An amazing machine, the Triumph. Polished alloy...42-horse engine...high torque and rarin’ to go...a perfect, sparkling, hand-striped finish...a tuck-nroll seat that said “Triumph” across the back for all those Sportster riders to see...
Of course, the Triumph also had a very necessary maintenance schedule, but it sure had its rewards. Norm Perchikoff Defiance, Ohio
After years of riding and fettling Triumphs, I am inclined to wonder if England’s recent “Mad Cow” disease, in fact, hasn’t been around quite a bit longer than previously suspected. Doug Boughton Sand Lake, New York
Peter, go to your local farm supply and buy a decent pair of slip-joint pliers. Don’t get the $1.49 pair-they have a tendency to slip and come apart. Keep these on your bike and you won’t have to crimp electrical connections between roadside rocks. Also, if you grind down one of the handles, you’ve got a pretty decent screwdriver. Alan HoltllUS Auburn, Nebraska
Praising a Britbike is akin to asking a hooker if she’s a virgin: It’s a non-sequitur.
You ever heard of “animism?” It works like this: Bikes complement the human biorhythm, so if you’re a perfect rider, the Trump requires only routine maintenance. If you have flatulence, the Trump blows exhausts. You got heart problems, your Trump has engine problems. Capiche?
This is why you don’t let anyone ride your Triumph. It confuses the bike’s animism and sullies its integrity to you. It is also why you don’t heap praise upon a Triumph, anymore than you would yourself. Instead, think in terms of We, as in, “We hit that apex pretty good,” or “I think we achieved a new lean-angle record in that turn.” You’ll find the Trump rides better each time out. And don’t be afraid to apologize when you screw up a shift or a corner: “We'll do better next time.”
This shit is basic, Pete. Fast Fred Jermyn Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
Raisin’ hell
Wow! The November “Hell-Raisers” article was great, real adrenalinepumping stuff! Keep up the good work and I’ll keep subscribing. Ron Busbea Searly, Arkansas
As a long-time subscriber, I take offense to your “Hell-Raisers” cover blurb. Otherwise, the issue is up to your usual good standards. Paul M. Sanders Burnsville, Minnesota
What kind of hell are the “HellRaisers” supposed to raise? The hell of ugliness; the hell of slowness; the hell of boredom?
Hell, give me a break! Alfredo Mello Las Vegas, Nevada
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Geez, Alf ie, you ’re awful crabby for a guy named Mello.
Some years back, Cycle World's cover carried the bold headline “Hot Damn!” about the Kawasaki ZX-6. I found it in poor taste. Then, not long ago, you had “Badass Buell” on the cover. November’s cover is “HellRaisers.” Are you guys obsessed with obscenities, or what? Get a real vocabulary, please. My once-favorite mag is no longer fit for the familyroom coffee table.
After 20 years as a faithful, paying customer, I must say goodbye. Please cancel my subscription. I refuse to support the sad turn you have taken. Freddy White Morehead, Kentucky
Geez, Freddy, you ’re awful crabby for a guy who lives in Morehead.
Even with the most-thoughtful and least-cloned of streetfighter comparisons, CW has the same goal as mags less scrupulous: Get those overpriced bits off the showroom floor, into some paper-shuffler’s garage. Let the biker beware!
Ed like to see CW include more longterm and value-critical reports, rather than the same old snake-oil hawking for which I canceled Motorcyclist. Allan Slaughter Redwood City, California
Perfect last name, Allan.
Where is Oliver Stone when you need him? Someone must expose the conspiracy that is being promoted by motorcycle journalists.
What is up with your infatuation with European motorcycles? Almost every review contains the following theme: “It looked unfinished, it rattled, it rusted, it broke down, it jumps out of gear, it’s expensive...but we love this bike.” Then you go on to describe the bike with empty adjectives like “charismatic, charming, graceful, raw, etc.” But when you give facts and figures, the Japanese bikes crush the Euros.
Please, go easy on the hype and spare us your personal opinions. Michael J. Merz Boca Raton, Florida
Those raw, charming, graceful, charismatic bikes are a bitch, ain't they, Mike...
